Beetle Juice (1988) Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis & Michael Keaton Directed by Tim Burton Written by Michael McDowell

There are a lot of well known horror directors that define the genre. Alfred Hitchcok, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Uwe Boll (I said they defined it, doesn't mean they don't suck. Yes I mean that towards Uwe), but there's one who's had a style of his own. He's made films with several returning actors and different themes. I'm of course talking about Tim Burton.

Some say he has Autism (I myself have Aspergers and I see some signs) while others think he's just a lonely Goth. Whatever the cause is, he's made some visions we can never forget, not all good, but memorable. It is safe to say that I will be doing a lot of his films for this series.

The first film I'll do was made before he rose to fame with Batman (besides Pee-wee's Big Adventure) and that is 1988's Beetle Juice. This film has a few well knowns, a couple of which have worked with Burton again after this film, such as Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Jeffry Jones and Michael Keaton. This film also offers a unique take on the after life and what really happens when you kick it.

As they head back down the house, there friend Jane comes over and tries to get them to sell there house as there is a buyer from NYC. They refuse, despite her mentioning the house's size being more suitable for a family (Much to Barbara's sadness, hinting they've tried and failed to become parents).

The couple then heads to town to go to Adam's hardware store and collects a few items. On the way back, while crossing a covered bridge, they see a dog in the way and must swerve to avoid it. Crashing into the side, there car falls into the river below and sinks.

The film then cuts to their house where a fire is burning in the fireplace and the house is now dark. Walking in soaking wet, they notice the changes and try to get warm, but are shocked when Barbara's fingers catch on fire when she gets to close and she doesn't feel it. When Adam decides leave the house, he is instantly transported to what looks like another planet of sand and rock and notices something huge swimming in the sand.

After she pulls him back into the house, Barbara shows him that they have no reflection in the mirror and a book they never owned is in their living room called "Book of the Recently Deceased". It's then that they suddenly realize that they didn't walk away from the crash alive.

As Adam and Barbara struggle with the book (saying that it "reads like stereo instructions"), a figure out in the darkness of nowhere with candles and business cards is seen reading the paper, although only from over his shoulder. Noticing the rise in Sandworms, he figures he'd best get a job and heads for the Business Section (really Obituaries) and notices the Maitlands and figures they look dumb and gullible.

Barbara and Adam are then seen in the attic working on the town model and cleaning, still wondering whether they're in Heaven or Hell. Hearing something, they look out the window to see Jane and her daughter outside the house. As she leaves, she passes a For Sale sign with a Sold sticker on it.

The next morning, Adam and Barbara awaken to a scary scene for them, movers bringing in new furniture and the new owners of the house: Charles Deetz who seeks to relax, Delia Deetz who is more concerned about turning the house into her artwork and Lydia Deetz, their teenage daughter from Charles first marriage who is a pale lonely gothic girl. To make it all worse, Delia's friend Otho who's an interior designer has come along to help remodel (also much of a frustration to Charles).

After several failed attempts to scare them (they're invisible to them) and a close call of Otho and Delia getting into the attic, Barbara decides she's had enough. After she and Adam run out the door, they fall into the world described later as Saturn. They then rush back to the house before a Sandworm gets them.

Later that evening, they witness the new family debating over what to do with the house. Charles and Lydia like the idea of keeping the house the way it is, but Delia gets the last word, and has everything go so she can turn it into her artwork.

The next day, the Maitlands, from the attic window, watch as a scene of chaos takes place down below involving the new family moving in and getting Delia's large bizarre sculptures into the house. As they watch them, they notice that Lydia stares up at them and seems to see them, the first living person to do so.

After Jane shows up and offers Lydia the skeleton key for the house, Lydia slowly makes her way up to the attic. While they manage to prevent her from unlocking the door, their old busted TV starts up and plays a commercial for a Freelance Bio-Exorcist.

Once they think the coast is clear, they read the handbook on what to do and find a page saying to draw a door and knock 3 times. After doing so, the door suddenly opens filling the room with green light, which Lydia sees from the keyhole in shock.

After they leave, Lydia tries to tell her father, but he insists she leave him alone as he's trying to fulfill his purpose of coming on this whole trip, which is to relax his shaken nerves. She then goes up and uses the key again, finding no one there, she reads the handbook.

The Maitlands head into a reception room, and are confused by the fact that they never made an appointment. The clerk, a blue lady in a pageant outfit, informs them that they are only allowed 3 appointments for the 125 years they have on earth. They then sit and wait for an unknown period of time (revealed later to be 3 months) with other dead people, whose causes of death are quite obvious, until their number is called out.

After walking through an office area with several dead employees and bizarre hallways, they come to the door they were told to go to. Once in, they realize to their shock that it's there home, now remodeled and changed to the Deetz's style and look.

It's then that there case worker, Juno, shows up. She instantly gives them a hard time for not reading all the way through the handbook and studying up.

As they make it to the attic, they bring up the man they saw, but she instantly shushes them from saying his name. She then gives them the brief history of him, that he was her assistant and that he went out on his own and got into trouble. She mentions that he's been spotted around there model cemetery and that by saying his name three times they will summon him up. Before leaving, she warns them to take care of it themselves. As they leave, a fly is seen flying around and is lured into the cemetery, then pulled under the ground and eaten.

As Charles tries to talk his former boss, Maxie Dean, into coming up, he is distracted by a sound. When he opens the door, he sees Adam in sheets acting like a ghost, but Charles instead thinks its Lydia. When he and Barbara try it on Delia, she simply turns off the TV.

As they leave into the hallway, Lydia confronts them and takes pictures. At first, she thinks it's her parents, but then sees that it's really the people she saw a while back. Back up in the attic, she mentions she's read the book and talks about how the normal won't see the strange and unusual, but she herself is strange and unusual so she can.

The next day, Lydia shows Delia the pictures in hopes of convincing her family to leave, but Delia is only concerned about the artist friends she has coming over for dinner.

Back up in the attic, Barbara and Adam notice something in the model. When she sees it's him, Barbara finally says his name 3 times: Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice. They are then shrunk into the model and see a grave with his name on it.

After digging through the cardboard, they find a casket. As it starts to shake violently, they crawl out and look back to see Beetle Juice rise up, with pale skin, black around his eyes and green mold on his face.

They then try negotiating with him, but soon realize they should have listened to Juno when he manages to kiss Barbara and they see his perverted and grotesque hygiene and sense of humor. After saying home 3 times, they go back into there attic and leave Beetle Juice to himself, who gets angry over being left behind.

Later that evening, Delia, Charles, Lydia and Otho are seen with their guests, a married couple and a shy oriental woman, all of whom Delia tries to please with a shrimp bucket dinner and her artwork. The subject they talk about gets onto ghosts and Lydia says she knows a few, and despite Otho's interest, Delia demands that they change the subject.

It's then that suddenly Delia starts to sing Harry Belafonte's classic "The Banana Boat Song" in his voice. Everyone except Lydia rises up and starts to dance to the song. Suddenly as they sit back down, there shrimp turn into hands, grabs them and pushes them back.

Back up in the attic, Adam and Barbara watch in hope of seeing them rush out of the house in fear. To there surprise though, Lydia shows up at the door saying they want them to show themselves. Back down below, they talk about how exciting it was and how they should get Charles's boss Maxie to the house so they can start investing in this.

When Lydia shows up saying there real goal was to get them to leave and they won't show themselves, there guests take this as a cheap prank and leave angry. Charles, Delia and Otho along with Lydia then head up to the attic and demand to go in.

As the door opens, they head in and find nothing, except for Otho who finds the handbook and sneaks out with it. After they leave, Adam and Barbara lift themselves up out of the window from hiding. Beetle Juice laughs at how pathetic they are and decides to take some action.

Down below, the stairway rail is suddenly turned into a giant snake with Beetle Juice's head. After scaring away Delia, knocking Otho down the stairs and dropping Charles down to the first floor, he then tries to make a move on Lydia who turns away in horror. But before he gets to her, Barbara arrives and says his name 3 times. After he's gone, Lydia turns to see Barbara and blames her, demanding to be left alone.

Back up in the attic, Beetle Juice is back in the model and scolds both Adam and Barbara for getting involved and mentions how he has an interest in Lydia. Before he can do anything else though, he notices the model has a whore house with dead hookers. Barbara asks why Adam built that, but they're suddenly taken away to Juno's office.

There Juno gives them a hard time for getting photographed, releasing Beetle Juice and letting Otho get the handbook (which they where unaware of). She then has to stop to deal with a recently deceased football team who don't know they're dead.

Back in the living world, Otho, Delia and Charles talk about how they're going to sell the ghosts to Maxie Dean who's coming up. Meanwhile, Lydia writes a suicide note, describing how she plans to jump off a bridge and end her life.

Juno demands they finish the job and get everyone out of the house and get the handbook. Before leaving, she has them deform themselves to scare the family away easier.

Back in the attic, Lydia looks for the Maitlands but instead finds Beetle Juice on the balcony of the whore house. After talking with him, they agree that if she lets him out, he'll get her in. They then play charades for her to get his name, and after saying it twice, she then suspects him as the snake who attacked last night.

As Barbara and Adam are about to enter the door, they discuss how they don't really want Lydia gone, and wonder if there's another option. After entering, they see Lydia about to say Beetle Juice's name, and scare her stop her.

After Barbara and Adam slowly return to normal, they then convince her that being dead doesn't solve anything. Suddenly, they hear Otho and Charles coming. Hiding, they see them take the model away piece by piece.

Down below, Lydia finds her dad making plans to turn the town into an amusement park of the paranormal. When she refuses to help, they then look to Otho who shows the handbook and requests something personal from both Maitlands.

Down at the kitchen table, they have the wedding clothes spread out and candles lighting the room. After reading a passage from the book, Barbara and then Adam fill the clothes and rise up, but suddenly start to rot away like a corpse. When they all turn to Otho, he relies that he can't do anything.

Back at the model, Lydia finds Beetle Juice and asks him to help, but he says he will only if she marries him. She finally agrees and says his name 3 times, to which he replies "Its show time..."

Noticing activity at the model Maxie Dean and his wife enter the room and see Beetle Juice rise up with a marry-go-round set on his head and long roll out hands that turn into hammers. Dean and his wife find it fun, until two strong man numbered rigs rise up behind him and the hammers rise and fall, shooting them through the roof and out of the house.

After jumping down, Beetle Juice turns the Maitlands back to normal and scares away Otho. He then prepares for the marriage Lydia agreed to by having Delia's art come alive to trap her and Charles so they can be witnesses.

As the ceremony starts (to Lydia's horror), both Adam and Barbara try to stop it, but Beetle Juice sends them both away, shrinking Adam into the model and sending Barbara to Saturn where a worm rises behind her. As the ceremony is about to finalize, Adam drives a toy truck from his model into Beetle Juice's foot. As this happens, Barbara breaks through the roof on the back of a Sandworm. As she jumps off, it eats Beetle Juice and dives down through the floor. Lydia then realizes that both couples can see each other.

The film then moves to Lydia leaving school, a little less pale and a little livelier. Back at the house, Barbara and Adam talk about how it's been a year, with the house itself looking more like it did before the Deetz moved in. As Lydia walks in, the Maitlands talk about the arrangement they made if Lydia got an A on her math test, which she did.

It's then that music starts to play. Charles hears this while reading the handbook and can tell that Lydia got the A. He's then scared by Delia's new work, which is a sculpted head of Beetle Juice as the snake. In the back ground, you can see framed magazine covers of her, showing that she's gotten more respect in the art world.

The scene then cuts back to Lydia as she rises into the air and starts to sing another Harry Belafonte song, Jump in the Line. Meanwhile, back at the reception area in the afterlife, Beetle Juice is seen waiting for his calling, but sees that his number is a long one and that he has a long wait. He then tries stealing another patient's number, but suffers for it.

Back in the house, Lydia is still floating and singing while the football players from earlier are on the stairs behind her dancing along with her as the film goes black and into the final credits.

Fun Facts

As mentioned above, several actors would work with Director Tim Burton again in the coming years on other projects.

*Winona Ryder would return for Edward Scissorhands. *Catherine O'Hara would voice Sally and Shock in The Nightmare before Christmas *Jeffrey Jones would share the screen with Johnny Depp twice in Ed Wood and Sleepy Hallow *Glenn Shadix would voice the Mayor in The Nightmare before Christmas and play a monkey in Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes. *Michael Keaton would work with Burton to make his most famous roll to date, Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman and Batman returns.

While Michael Keaton is considered the star of the film, he's not even on screen for about half of the film. Also, his famous Black and White stripped outfit is only in one scene towards the end.

The film would spawn an animated sequel where the Maitlands were not present or even mentioned and Lydia and Beetle Juice have a friendship. The only other returning characters would be Lydia's parents, Charles and Delia. They also had several new characters in the world of the living and the dead.

For years, there were talks and rumors of a sequel, Michael Keaton even wanting one, but to date, it's yet to happen and Burton has said he doesn't want to make one.

Recommended for ages 10 and 11

Reason: Now usually, such a film would be recommended for children of younger ages, its very slap stick and pretty simple laughs. But there are 2 problems.

1: The language. The language on this film is not for the young of age. After Beetle Juice gets pissed that Barbara and Adam left, he kicks over a tree then screams "Nice Fucking Model" and grabs his crotch. He also says Shit later on, too.

2: The humor. The TV might cut out the language, but it keeps the humor, and the humor ranges from simple slap stick, to perverted and grotesque. Such acts include forcing a kiss on someone, rats and snakes, hawking a loogie for keeping, looking up a skirt and a few more other jokes.

Besides that, this film also deals with the rather serious subjects of death and what happens after one dies, hinting that people who commit suicide must work for the after life. You can take a chance if you have a younger child and watch it on TV if you want, but if it's the full theatrical version I just reviewed, I recommend you stick to my age rating.

So that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed it. Next time, we'll review a film that'll teach your daughters to be brave...just not around un-explored caves. Till then, later.